WomensDiets

How The Perricone Promise Works continued...

In Perricone's world, every meal seems fraught with danger. According to him, a breakfast of orange juice, a bowl of cereal with skim milk and bananas, a low-fat bran muffin with margarine, and a cup of coffee has terrible results. It causes "a rapid acceleration of the aging process, increasing the risk of heart disease, every known form of cancer, memory loss, and mental deterioration." This meal, he says, will leave you moody, "fat, wrinkled, and fatigued."

Perricone claims that eating a Snickers candy bar would be preferable. It would at least be "less inflammatory." But you'd have to look far and wide to find a mainstream nutritionist who agreed.

What the Experts Say About The Perricone Promise

While experts praise a few aspects of Perricone's diet, they also have a lot of doubts.

"In general, I don't think that people will be harmed by what Perricone suggests," says Roberta Anding, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly American Dietetic Association). "Eating more cold-water fish, fruits, and vegetables and having frequent sensible meals are all good suggestions."

But she does think that his limits on foods are too strict. "Although Perricone's plan contains healthy foods, the limitation of some food groups contrasts with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines and the majority of nutritional science," Anding tells WebMD.

"I don't agree with [Perricone's] emphasis on the glycemic index," says Lona Sandon, MS, RD, also a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "The effects of foods with a high glycemic index just aren't proven."

Sandon also dislikes that Perricone hawks his own line of supplements and skin care products.

"Any time a diet is sold along with additional supplements and creams that cost more than what most people spend on a month of groceries, that raises a red flag," says Sandon.

The diet may also not be safe for everyone, say experts. You should never start taking supplements before talking to your health care provider first. Many can interact with common medicines and cause problems. Anding recommends that anyone who is using a blood thinner must check in with a doctor before trying the diet. In addition, pregnant women (and women who may become pregnant) should be careful about eating too much fish, especially tuna, which can contain mercury.

"Perricone has got great marketing," says Anding. "But I think most people need to stop and think before they try this. Deep down, do you really think that a diet is going to reverse the aging process? If I did, I would certainly be on it. But I'm not."

Food For Thought

As a rule of thumb, you should be suspicious when anyone tries to sell you X-ray spectacles, a home alchemy kit, or the secret to eternal youth. Perricone promises something like eternal youth. The book jacket of The Perricone Promise boldly states that the diet can help "reverse the aging process."

What You Can Eat on The Perricone Promise continued...

Perricone urges you to eat foods with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. In his view, the good foods are:

Wild Alaskan salmon (never farm-raised)
Other fish, such as tuna, shellfish, halibut, and trout
Turkey
Eggs
Yogurt
Vegetables like leafy greens, bean sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes
Fruits like berries (especially blueberries), cherries, apples, pears, and some melons
Avocados
Olives
Whole barley
Beans
Oatmeal
Nuts
Green tea
Spices, including oregano, ginger, cayenne pepper, and basil
Spring water (8 to 10 glasses a day)

Perricone suggests that you take more than 25 supplements a day. He recommends his own brand, which are available in some stores and on his web site.

How The Perricone Promise Works

There are three basic parts to The Perricone Promise approach:

Diet. Perricone recommends five meals a day -- breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. He suggests you eat a lot from his list of "superfoods," including salmon and berries. He also says that you must always eat protein before you eat any carbohydrates. His books include recipes and meal plans.

Supplements. Perricone recommends more than 25 supplements a day taken with breakfast and lunch. He suggests using his own line of products.

Skin care products. Perricone also has an extensive line of skin care products, including cleansers, toners, lotions, lip plumpers, and moisturizers.

In addition, Perricone recommends exercising at least 20-30 minutes a day.

Perricone relies on the glycemic index to guide his food choices. The index is a way of measuring the effect of a food on your blood sugar levels. Perricone says that foods with a high glycemic index cause swelling throughout your body.

However, experts debate whether eating foods with a high glycemic index is a problem for most people. Besides, if you eat foods in combination with one another -- as most of us do -- you can change your body's glycemic response to it.

Some Controversial Science

Some aspects of Perricone's approach are founded on good research. Increasingly, experts do see inflammation as a serious health problem. It can contribute to diseases like arthritis and heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids are known to help the heart. Some studies suggest that they can even help with mood disorders. And many researchers think that the results of aging may not be inevitable. A diet with lots of salmon and berries has many benefits.

The problem is that Perricone stretches the evidence too far. He makes grand and often odd conclusions that the science can't completely support.

He tends toward dramatic and alarming pronouncements. "In essence, a wrinkle can be considered a wound," he writes. He says that sugar can be "toxic." It contributes to the destruction of our organs, joints, and "the deterioration of every bodily function."

What Is The Perricone Promise?

Unlike most diets, the Perricone diet -- in its current incarnation, at least -- doesn't focus on weight loss. Instead, dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD, claims that he's found a diet and regimen of supplements and lotions that can make you look younger and live longer.

But wait. Perricone also says his approach can also decrease inflammation in every organ system, improve your metabolism, lift your mood, make your heart resistant to disease, decrease the risk of cancer, improve bone density, repair the skin, rejuvenate your immune system, and possibly help you lose weight.

The Latest Diets

New diets and weight loss tricks pop up every month. Get the facts on how the new diets work and what's right.

Related to diet and weight loss

Alli, apple cider vinegar, low carb diet,high protien diet, weight loss,metabolism, Mediterranean diet, diet pills, trans fat, BMI calculator, detox diet, diabetes diet, Body for Life

Over the last few years, Perricone has popped up everywhere. He's made his pitch on Oprah, Today, 20/20, and many other shows. He's had several specials on PBS. He has endorsements from celebrities like Courtney Cox, who calls herself a "huge fan." Perricone's line of supplements and skin care products -- or "cosmeceuticals" as he calls them -- are sold on his web site, at some high-end department stores, and at his own shop on Madison Avenue in New York. He's also written many books, most of them best-sellers. Some examples are:

The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet: A Simple 3-Part Plan to Lose the Fat, the Wrinkles, and the Years (2007)
Dr. Perricone's 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity: The Miracle of Cellular Rejuvenation (2007)
The Perricone Weight Loss Diet (2005)
The Clear Skin Prescription: The Perricone Program to Eliminate Problem Skin (2004)
The Perricone Promise (2004)
The Acne Prescription: The Perricone Program for Healthy Skin at Every Age (2003)
The Perricone Prescription (2002)
The Wrinkle Cure (2000)

So what's the angle? Every fad diet has to have a villain, and Perricone's is inflammation. His basic idea is that swelling is at the cause of wrinkles, acne, and other skin conditions as well as many other medical problems. And what's the cause of all this swelling? Food and the inflammatory response. He says that bad food choices are "directly responsible for wrinkles, degenerative diseases, and accelerated aging."

However, he claims that following his diet and regimen of supplements and lotions helps "reverse the aging process." Perricone says that his diet will make you look younger in as little as three days.

Some of Perricone's suggestions are sensible and founded on accepted science, but others are sketchier. Perricone frequently talks about his own research, but very little of it has ever been published or reviewed by outside experts. While Perricone makes some big claims, his diet is strict, costly, and largely unproven.

What You Can Eat on The Perricone Promise

The Perricone Promise diet is rigid. He wants you to cut out foods that, he says, cause inflammation. The list of foods to avoid is long. It includes:

Alcohol
Breads (especially French baguettes and croissants)
Flour
Coffee
Breakfast cereals (except non-instant oatmeal)
Granola
Duck
Beef
Fruit juice
Many fruits, like grapes, mangos, oranges, papaya, raisins, watermelon
Many vegetables, like carrots, corn, peas, potatoes, pumpkin
Pasta and noodles
Pizza
Pickles
Rice
Soda (including diet soda)
Sugar
Hard cheese

Following this six-week, reduced-calorie plan, you should see a healthy 1-2 pound weight loss per week. The plan is designed to help you eat a lower-calorie, nutritious diet, incorporate healthy new habits, dress more fashionably, and work positive new ways of thinking into your life. At-home exercises are mapped out each day over the 42-day period, with the intensity level increasing over time.

Phase 1 of The Park Avenue Diet is a two-week self-discovery stage that teaches the dieter how to apply each of the seven principles discussed in the book. Phase 2 is a week of "preparing for greatness" by practicing your new skills. And finally Phase 3, "making the A-list," unveils the new you.

Defying conventional wisdom, The Park Avenue Diet does not recommend regular weigh-ins.

"You don’t need a scale to tell you how you are doing, how your clothes fit, or how you feel," Fischer says.
"All the compliments you will get are better reinforcements than a number on the scale."

The book briefly addresses maintenance, suggesting a continuation of what has been practiced over the six-week period, yet it defines no particular maintenance plan. Sustain the fundamentals you learned throughout the program and it will last a lifetime, Fischer says.

However, the diet's 1,250-1,350 daily calorie level is inadequate for weight maintenance There is no guidance on increasing exercise, calories, alcohol, or adding foods, such as more dairy and whole grains.

Park Avenue Diet: What the Experts Say

Studies show that any reduced-calorie diet plan that includes exercise, like The Park Avenue Diet, is a good bet for weight loss success.

"The Park Avenue Diet is a good overall lifestyle plan, but the calorie level may not be adequate to satisfy hunger," says Elisa Zied, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. (Fischer suggests a snack of a slice of turkey wrapped around a carrot or celery stick if you get hungry.)

Zied likes the lifestyle approach to losing weight but says the plan is so restrictive that it may be hard to sustain. She also says the menus are generally good, with a few exceptions.

"The suggested menus are nutritionally inadequate in calcium, vitamin D, and potassium because of the limited amount of low-fat dairy and whole grains," Zied says.

Zied, author of Feed Your Family Right, suggests adding low- or non-fat dairy foods and whole grains such as popcorn to fill in the nutritional gaps and help satisfy hunger.

"You may eat a few more calories, but at least the diet will be nutritionally balanced, similar to the recommendations of the [U.S. Department of Agriculture's] Dietary Guidelines, and more satisfying so you can stick with it long-term," she says.

Zied also cautions that rigorous exercise may be challenging without adequate calories to provide necessary fuel.

The Food and Drug Administration and American Dietetic Association recommend consuming at least 1,600 calories daily to meet all of your nutritional needs.

The Park Avenue Diet: What It Is

You don’t need to live on Park Avenue to have that well-heeled look -- all you need to do is follow the Park Avenue Diet plan, according to the author of The Park Avenue Diet. The six-week Park Avenue Diet program is more than a low-calorie diet. It includes a lifestyle makeover encompassing beauty, etiquette, poise, fitness, and fashion, designed to give you the look of the rich and famous.

"The Park Avenue Diet can help everyone be more successful by working from the outside in and inside out, because looking better is more than just eating properly," says Manhattan internist Stuart Fischer, MD, author of The Park Avenue Diet.

The Latest Diets

New diets and weight loss tricks pop up every month. Get the facts on how the new diets work and what's right.

Related to diet and weight loss

Alli, apple cider vinegar, low carb diet,high protien diet, weight loss,metabolism, Mediterranean diet, diet pills, trans fat, BMI calculator, detox diet, diabetes diet, Body for Life

Dieting alone won’t do it, Fischer says. You also need to address the seven fundamental components of your lifestyle to have a better chance of physical and mental self-improvement. Those components, according to the book, are: weight, physique, hair, skin, clothing, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills.

"Two behavior modifications work on self-confidence and interpersonal skills, and the other sections focus on appearance, which is so much more than just weight. It is what everyone notices when you walk into a room," Fischer says.

For the book, he assembled a team of experts (not including any registered dietitians), each of whom offers a chapter of advice on everything from hair styles and make-up to self-confidence.

But no matter how you slice it, this plan is a temporary, low-calorie (1,250-1,350) restrictive diet with some added advice on other aspects of life. It is not intended to be the sort of lifelong healthy weight approach that most nutrition experts recommend.

The Park Avenue Diet: What You Can Eat

The Park Avenue Diet plan is a fairly well-balanced meal plan of three meals and one snack, totaling about 1,250-1,350 calories daily. The diet includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and seafood, as well as a limited amount of dairy products and whole grains.

The book is organized into daily menu plans with recipes and nutritional analysis so you can determine your exact nutrient intake. Anyone watching sodium intake should be careful, as many of the recipes are high in sodium.

All the recommended foods are readily available, and there are no gimmicks or strange food combination, even though Fischer served as the associate medical director at the Atkins Center for years. Dieters are told to forego sweets, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, fruit juice, and milk (except skim in coffee or tea). There are a few dessert recipes that can be enjoyed on occasion, but for the most part, dieters will need to satisfy any sweets cravings with the natural sweetness of fruit.

"We eliminate artificial sweeteners, sugar, and most sweets other than the few recipes included because, in my experience, sweet treats are like giving an alcoholic a drink, furthering the temptation for more," Fischer says.

The book does not encourage dietary supplements, yet the author sells them on his web site and at his practice (which is in Manhattan, but not on Park Avenue).

The O2 Diet: Food for Thought

Despite some of the book's unsubstantiated claims -- such as that The O2 Diet can make you more beautiful or give you energy off the charts -- there is little downside to eating a wholesome diet high in antioxidants.

Add some calcium-rich foods, whole grains, and lean protein to give yourself a few more calories, and you'll have a greater chance of sticking with the program beyond 32 days.

If you're looking for a beauty boost, keep in mind that healthy, balanced diets, along with regular physical activity, can help keep your skin, nails and hair looking their best.

The O2 Diet: How It Works continued...

The final two-week phase is essentially the same as Phase Two with an extra starch or fruit each day and a weekly indulgence such as a glass of wine or small piece of chocolate.

Here are sample meal plans for the various phases of the plan:

4-Day Cleanse: (You eat the same foods all four days)

Breakfast: One egg plus three egg whites with basil; green tea; water with lemon
Snack: Granny Smith apple with cinnamon
Lunch: Spinach with vinegar; 3-4 ounces fish with spices; 8 pecan halves; water with lemon
Snack: Steamed artichoke; green tea
Dinner: Romaine and veggie salad with 1 teaspoon olive oil; steamed asparagus; 3-4 ounces lean protein with spices; blueberries; water with lemon

Phase 2 Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast: 1 peach, 6 ounces fat-free yogurt, 8 pecans, and cinnamon
Snack: Celery w/ 2 tsp. almond butter and cinnamon
Lunch: Quick Cobb Salad (recipe provided)
Snack: 6 oz. fat-free yogurt, 2 oz. pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup blueberries
Dinner: Salmon with raspberry balsamic glaze (recipe provided)

Phase 3 Meal Plan

Same as Phase 2, with the addition of:

One starch or fruit serving daily
One "conscious indulgence" per week

Glassman estimates you can lose 2-5 pounds in the first four days of the antioxidant-rich diet (about half from water weight), and 1-2 pounds weekly during the remainder of the diet.

She says you won’t feel like you are on a diet once you add the little indulgences. "In the last phase, the plan feels closer to real life and is more sustainable and adaptable to traveling or eating out," she says.

Ultimately, you're encouraged to follow The O2 Diet for life to help you maintain the weight loss you achieved on the 32-day diet.

The O2 Diet: What the Experts Say

It certainly won't hurt you to eat lots of nutrient-dense, less-processed foods, but do you really need 30,000 or more ORAC points a day?

It's not clear whether antioxidant activity can be used as a measure for weight loss success, says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Lona Sandon, Med, RD.

"There is not enough evidence to use the ORAC scale as a tool for weight loss, because even if a food has a high ORAC value, it may not increase the antioxidant levels or be used by the body to fight free radicals," says Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Sandon views The O2 Diet as a gimmicky way to package a nutrient-dense, low-calorie diet that is built mainly on sound nutritional concepts. Still, she does see some dietary shortcomings.

"The plan is super-nutritious and will meet the [government's] Dietary Guidelines for fruits and vegetables, but it comes up short on dairy, calcium, whole grains, protein, and calories unless you are a sedentary woman," she says.

Her advice: Add a serving of low-fat dairy and whole grain (about 250 calories' worth) to boost protein and calcium and satisfy hunger.

Even if you don’t follow the plan long term, Sandon suggests paying attention to the nutritious foods highlighted on The O2 Diet, which should be included in any healthy diet.